The PI will fund activities that carry EU agendas with partner countries forward, translating political commitments into concrete measures.

The PI is one of the funding instruments that enable the EU to take part in shaping global change and promote its core values. It is one of several instruments included in the EU's budget for 2014-2020 as a means of financing the Union's external action.

The PI will finance activities in a number of areas of key interest to the Union. This funding will support the external dimension of EU internal policies – in areas such as competitiveness, research and innovation, as well as migration – and help to address major global challenges such as energy security, climate change and environmental protection. As one of its main orientations, it will contribute to the external projection of the Europe 2020 Strategy.

The PI will also deal with specific aspects of the EU's economic diplomacy with a view to improving access to third-country markets by boosting trade, investment and business opportunities for European companies. It will encourage public diplomacy, people-to-people contacts, academic and think tank cooperation and outreach activities.

The EU's interaction with many countries around the world focuses on development cooperation. The PI will offer a different approach to established models of development cooperation by promoting policy cooperation with countries of strategic interest to the EU. In particular, it will allow the EU to establish a wider political dialogue with emerging partners. It will also support the EU's relations with countries that are no longer eligible for bilateral development aid.